Encyclopedia

DRIVERS: KUNIMITSU TAKAHASHI

Takahashi started on two wheels and in 1961 became the first Japanese rider to win a motorcycle Grand Prix riding a 250cc Honda to victory at Hockenheim. He was seriously injured in the following year's Isle of Man TT and switched to car racing in 1965. He drove a Tyrrell to ninth place in the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji after which he became a regular contender in the Fuji Grand Championship. He was Japanese sports car champion on four occasions in the 1980s.